


Rescue Fantasy

by idrilhadhafang



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo is Not Nice, Bullying, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gaslighting, Heavy Angst, Manipulative Sheev Palpatine, Miscommunication, Other, Past Character Death, Pre-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Protective Ben Solo, Young Ben Solo, Young Poe Dameron, both these previous tags are by Palpatine, troubling unchildlike behavior
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:08:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24255637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idrilhadhafang/pseuds/idrilhadhafang
Summary: Ben shows a darker side to him at age six defending Poe.
Relationships: Poe Dameron & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10
Collections: Trope Bingo: Round Fourteen





	Rescue Fantasy

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Kid Fic
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Ben and Poe going back to school after Shara’s funeral had been the usual, with a certain trio of kids bothering Ben and Poe, at least before they brought up Poe’s mom.   
  
“Stop it,” Poe said. He really did sound upset, and Ben could already feel the warning signs (as Uncle Luke put it) of his anger starting to rouse.   
  
The token girl in the group, Jaid, was undeterred. “Poe Dameron’s got no mommy! Poe Dameron’s got no mommy!”  
  
Ben could already feel it, the familiar protective anger swelling in him. It was one thing to make fun of him; he was weird, he knew it. But Poe?  
  
Who would even think of treating Poe (and the late Shara Bey) like that?  
  
 _Kill them,_ the Voice hissed. _Rend their flesh._  
  
The pressure exploded, and the three bullies were flung back, skidding against the wall.   
  
“Owwwwwww,” one of them whimpered. “Why’d you do that, you freak?”  
  
“No one talks to Poe like that,” Ben said.   
  
Poe, meanwhile, looked worried, though also awed. He was wondering, Ben knew, wondering what exactly it would be like to have that power. To be so amazing.   
  
An Ithorian teacher lumbered towards them in that moment. _“What’s going on?”_  
  
The lead bully told her. Of course he had to make himself look like the victim. Ben didn’t get it; why didn’t he just admit that he’d done something wrong and deserved what happened to them?  
  
 _It’s the way of things, child. The Savage laughs when he beats you, but cries when you beat him._ the Voice said.   
  
Ben didn’t know why that was either.   
  
***  
  
Han and Leia came by just then, to pick Ben up from the principal’s office. Ben hated the principal’s office; there was something about it that just seemed to brand you as The Bad Kid, and no one wanted to be branded as The Bad Kid. Poe was there too if only to support Ben, and the principal sighed as she looked at Ben over her glasses. “It’s always that child,” she said. “Every time.”  
  
"They deserved it,” Ben said.  
  
He could already sense the grown-ups’ tension, their fear. It was like they thought that No Child could really think these things. Why not, Ben thought. Wasn’t it normal to want the bullies to get punished?   
  
That’s how it was on the Holonet. The good guys won, the bad guys got punished.   
  
“Ben,” Han said, “What happened?”  
  
Ben explained. As he finished, he said, “And I don’t know why _I’m_ in trouble! They started it. They were making fun of Mrs. Bey...”  
  
“It’s horrible, yes,” Mom said. “But Ben...you can’t solve every problem with violence.”  
  
Ben shrugged. “That’s how the good guys do it.”  
  
Dad sighed. “Emphasis on _every_ problem.”  
  
They took Ben and Poe out for ice cream then. Ben supposed that it was their way of making them both feel better, after everything. And Dad reassured Ben that he was a good kid and he had good intentions. “Just find other methods,” Dad said. “You can’t solve every problem by getting angry at it. Don’t be like...either me or your mother on bad days.”  
  
Ben supposed he could try.   
  
***  
  
It was when Ben was lying in bed, cuddling his tooka doll close to him, that he heard his parents’ voices.   
  
“...I’m just worried about him, Han,” Leia said. “He’s...young. He’s strong, and he can’t control his abilities. I’m just worried about him hurting somebody.”  
  
“He’s only six!” Han protested.   
  
“I know that. I just...I’m scared for him. As I always have been.”  
  
 _They don’t trust you,_ the Voice rumbled in his head. _You’re nothing to them. They’re afraid of you, young Solo._  
  
But that wasn’t true, was it, Ben thought. His parents loved him. Mom would be worried about him a lot, but wasn’t that what parents did?   
  
_You’re nothing to everyone. Your mother would rather adopt the Dameron child._  
  
Ben clutched his tooka doll closer. How _dare_ the Voice talk about Poe like that?   
  
_You’re nothing to everyone, child — but not to me._  
  
At least there was that. Ben could safely say that the Voice was there for him when Poe couldn’t be, even as his parents whispered their fears into the night.   
  



End file.
